WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Novell today announced the Novell® Sentinel™ Healthcare Solution Pack, a unified solution for healthcare organizations to manage overlapping and cumbersome compliance requirements related to security monitoring. Healthcare providers will have the policies and controls needed to lay the foundation for a comprehensive compliance solution to address a broad assortment of regulations. To accomplish this, Novell partnered with CynergisTek, a distinguished IT security consultancy and solutions firm with over a decade of service to the healthcare industry.

To meet regulatory requirements, healthcare providers store a wealth of information including user activity on the network and access to private patient data and payment card data. The challenge is that most providers only tend to address certain regulations – like HIPAA and HITECH – which are deployed in silos, with redundant, overlapping controls for different regulations.  For example, HIPAA, PCI-DSS and FISMA each require many of the same controls around personal information.  Analyzing and reporting on these controls separately wastes time and money in the compliance process.  To be truly compliant and secure, healthcare providers need a comprehensive solution for addressing all regulations within the healthcare spectrum.

The Novell Sentinel Healthcare Solution Pack simplifies regulatory challenges by eliminating redundancies. Customers can take advantage of predefined controls in the form of reports, correlation rules and device support.  This is on top of the advanced search and reporting capabilities in Novell Sentinel which enable customers to produce exactly the reports needed for security or compliance audits. The combination of Novell's expertise with integrated security monitoring and CynergisTek's healthcare expertise gives customers a novel, comprehensive approach to security and regulatory compliance.

"Novell and CynergisTek set out to create a solution that would ensure compliance with the myriad of healthcare regulations without compromising ease of use and simplicity," said Brian Singer, Senior Solution Manager, Novell.  "Together, we have created one of the most comprehensive security solutions for healthcare providers looking to get a handle on their compliance and security needs."

"More than anything, healthcare providers need solutions that work, are straightforward to implement, are easy to manage, are compliance-aware and account for healthcare workflows," said Mac McMillan, CEO of CynergisTek.  "For years, we have emphasized selection of industry-aware tools to our clients and encouraged vendors to address this need.  Nowhere are these needs more pronounced than in healthcare. We were very excited to partner with Novell to bring our information security and healthcare experience to inform this effort."

Customers can learn more about this solution by visiting www.novell.com/products/sentinel  or by visiting Novell's booth at the HIMSS '11 conference in Orlando.

About Novell

Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL), a leader in Intelligent Workload Management, helps organizations securely deliver and manage computing services across physical, virtual and cloud computing environments. We help customers reduce the cost, complexity, and risk associated with their IT systems through our solutions for identity and security, systems management, collaboration and Linux-based operating platforms. With our infrastructure software and ecosystem of partnerships, Novell integrates mixed IT environments, allowing people and technology to work as one. For more information, visit www.novell.com.

About CynergisTek

CynergisTek is a leading provider of information security management, regulatory compliance, IT audit and advisory services, business continuity management, security technology selection and implementation, and secure IT infrastructure architecture and design solutions. The firm offers practical, manageable and affordable consulting services for organizations of all sizes and complexity. Using an organized, planned and collaborative approach, CynergisTek applies multidisciplinary expertise to serve as partner and mentor, to enhance the consulting experience and, ultimately, clients' compliance and business performance. CynergisTek participates in and contributes to HIMSS, AHIMA, HFMA, HCCA, AHIA and other industry bellwether organizations. For more information visit www.cynergistek.com, call 512.402.8550 or email info@cynergistek.com.

Copyright © 2011 Novell, Inc.  All rights reserved.  Novell, the Novell logo, and the N logo are registered trademarks and Sentinel is a trademark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries.  *All third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Novell, Inc.